The Faithfulness of God

This last Thursday, we all stopped for a day of thanksgiving here in the United States of America. And, no doubt, many of us gathered together with friends and family to enjoy one another's good company, to enjoy good food and fun together. And during that time, we remembered with thanksgiving all the blessings that God has poured out on us both as a nation and as a people, as a church. The blessings He's given us as the Church of God.

No doubt that came to our mind during the days of thanksgiving. Not only do we appreciate the country in which we live, hopefully we do greatly appreciate our calling. Now, brethren, it's not my purpose today to necessarily dwell on the topic of thanksgiving itself, but I do want to use the thanksgiving story as sort of the jumping-off point to the topic that I would like to cover today. Now, the history of thanksgiving in this country is fairly well known. Probably all of us had some sort of education in that when we were in elementary school.

On December of 1620, 102 passengers aboard the Mayflower landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Now, a majority of those passengers were made up of individuals who had broken away from the Church of England, seeking religious freedom. So they came across on the Mayflower. In December, they landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, and quite frankly, they were ill-prepared to deal with that first winter. So they looked at the location of that area, and they considered it to be more of a milder-type climate, maybe equal to France. And so preparations weren't made in advance necessarily of their landing, and as a result, within half of the passengers of the Mayflower died that first winter in the New World.

Many died of starvation and malnutrition and of poor shelter. Now, in the spring of 1621, the Mayflower set sail back to England, but none of the passengers who had survived that winter went with it. Those who had carried on decided that they would in fact fulfill the purpose by which they came to America. With the assistance of two English-speaking Native Americans, Squanto and Semoset, the settlers were able to establish peaceful relationships with the Native Americans in their region. And as a result, they learned valuable farming techniques that were specific to that region, many of which were taught to them by, again, those Native Americans.

And when you look at it, and when you read various accounts of history, what you find is that the settlers at Plymouth believed it to be an act of God, that those two English-speaking Native Americans were there to assist them in that way. And I believe, brethren, that it was. As a side note, the story of Squanto is an interesting one. In 1605, he was captured as a slave by Captain George Weymouth, and he was brought back to England, where he learned English. He was trained as a guide and as an interpreter.

And through a series of circumstances, eventually, he was able to make board on a ship by John Smith and make his way back to his homeland in 1619, just one year ahead of the landing of the Mayflower, there at Plymouth. And so you have this rare set of circumstances that then the colonists, as part of their survival, they depended on relationships and what they were able to accomplish through their friendship of these English-speaking Native Americans.

It's really quite an interesting story to read. Now, in autumn of 1621, following the first successful harvest by that Plymouth plantation, the settlers gathered together for a celebration, for a Thanksgiving feast. It was a feast that lasted for three days. You know, you can get a week. We have leftovers for three days. I know, at Thanksgiving at our house, so it sort of is like a feast for three days.

But they got together for a feast for three days, and it was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 pilgrims. Now, over the course of time, as the years passed by, the small colony flourished, and it led the way to establishing religious freedom and creating the foundations of democracy, early foundations of it, the democracy in which we've come to know in the United States of America today. Now, down through history, Thanksgiving has continued to be celebrated in an on-and-off manner, as it was the next couple hundred years.

And President George Washington, in 1789, proclaimed a nationwide day of Thanksgiving. His proclamation made it clear that the day should be dedicated to prayer and to giving thanks to the Almighty God. Again, certainly things that we would have kept on our mind during this most recent day of Thanksgiving. Brethren, I'd say that this foundation, the acknowledging God, seeing His mercy and His blessings in our life and in this nation, and giving thanksgiving to Him, I would say that's the foundation on which you and I find it acceptable to celebrate this day of Thanksgiving and to engage in it in such a way, such as we do.

Now, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as a national holiday of Thanksgiving, with Congress adopting a joint resolution setting the date on the fourth Thursday of November in 1941. And it's continued such as that until our day today. Now, what I've noticed, frankly, over the last several years, and you've probably noticed it as well, is that just as with so many other things in our society, Thanksgiving has had the focus and emphasis of God pushed farther and farther away from being the central recognition of that day.

Our society has, in that sense, replaced it in many ways with things that are socially acceptable and secularly acceptable, such as turkey, football, shopping. Now, the recognition of God as the divine power who established many blessings for this nation and which have come down to our lives today, that recognition is being removed against being replaced by secularly acknowledged things. I've noticed that Thanksgiving is now so often referred to as Turkey Day. And, frankly, I'm not a huge fan of that, because, you know, the turkey isn't the focus.

God and his blessings and acknowledgement of him is, in fact, the focus. And so I'd like to read to you, beginning this afternoon, in its entirety, the Thanksgiving proclamation, as was issued by President George Washington, and then I'll tell you where I'm going with my message this afternoon. This is a Thanksgiving proclamation issued by President George Washington at the request of Congress on October 3, 1789. And as I read it, just listen to the words and the terminology that's used, and ask yourself, if we as a nation express ourselves in such a way as this today. It says, whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and to humbly implore his protection and favor.

And whereas both houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a public day of thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

He says, now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November, next, to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of the great and glorious Being, who is the beneficial author of all good. That was, that is, and that will be. And that we may all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country, previous to their becoming a nation. For the signal and manifold mercies and favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war, and for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed.

He says, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted. For the civil and religious liberty which we are blessed to have and the means we have of acquiring and disfusing useful knowledge, and in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. Again, nobody speaks like that anymore. Would we hear a President issue such a proclamation? Carrying on, it says, and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and ruler of nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our civil and relative duties properly and punctually, to render to our national government as a blessing to all the people by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations, especially those such as has shown kindness to us, and to bless them with good government's peace and concord, to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us, and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord, 1789, President George Washington. Brother and I actually printed this off this year, but I've gone online and read this every year for the last several years as we approach Thanksgiving, and it actually helps me in my perspective. And when I read it, I can't help but acknowledge it's a powerful statement. Because, you see, not only is it a recognition of God's great blessings, but it's an acknowledgement of the direct hand that God has played in the establishment and in the preservation of this nation.

And that leads me to the topic that I would like to cover today, which is the faithfulness of God. Faithfulness of God. Brother, God is faithful. He is good to His Word. When God makes a promise, it will indeed be fulfilled. He has the power, the will, the resolve to bring it to pass. For me, Thanksgiving is a reminder of one specific example of God's faithfulness. Every year as we come to Thanksgiving now, I recognize that to me it's a reminder that our great God is indeed faithful.

We're all aware of God's promise to Abraham to make him the father of many nations. And although he and Sarah were beyond childbearing age, God fulfilled His promise. The son of promise, Isaac, was born. From Isaac came Jacob. And through that line of descendants, the birthright promise of great blessing from God was passed. In Genesis 48, we see the birthright blessings of that family line being conveyed onto Joseph's sons as well by Jacob. So let's turn there. Beginning this afternoon, Genesis 48. I'm going to go back to some of the foundational roots of this promise as we've now come to see it fulfilled in our day and age. Genesis 48, beginning in verse 8.

It says, Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and he said, Who are these? And Joseph said to his father, These are my sons whom God has given me in this place. You recall Joseph whistled into slavery by his brothers, slavery into Egypt, and over the course of time now his children had been born there.

Jacob said, Please bring them to me, and I will bless them. Verse 10, Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed them, and he embraced them.

And Israel said to Joseph, I had not thought to see your face, but in fact God also has shown me your offspring. So Joseph brought them beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand towards Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand towards Israel's right hand and brought them near him. It says, Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

So basically what you had is you had Joseph who brought his sons to his father. He put the eldest on the right hand, the younger on the left hand, for Jacob to reach out and bless. But what Jacob did was he crossed his hands, placing his right hand on the younger, his left hand on the older. It said he guided his hands knowingly.

Verse 15, And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life along to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lad. Let my name be named upon them, in the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

Now when Joseph saw that his father had laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. So he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, Not so my father, for this one is the firstborn. Put your hand on his head. But his father refused, and he said, I know my son.

I know. He also shall become a people. He shall also be great, but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations. Verse 20, So he blessed them that day, saying, By you Israel will bless, saying, May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And thus he said, Ephraim before Manasseh, putting the prominence, the prominent portion of the blessing, onto Ephraim.

Verse 21, Then Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. So the lads were blessed. Again, with Ephraim prophesied to become a multitude of nations, Manasseh prophesied to become a single great nation. And it was consistent with God's promise to Jacob in Genesis 35 and 11, when he said that a nation in a company of nations would proceed from him. Now, if we continue on into chapter 49, we see Jacob then prophesied to his sons, all of his sons, concerning their condition, the condition of the nations that would come of their family line in the end time.

Let's notice what he says. Genesis 49, verse 1, And Jacob called his sons, and he said, Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days. Gather together and hear you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel, your father. So let's focus in on what he prophesied about Ephraim and Manasseh. And here they're represented by Joseph. So if we go to verse 22, we'll see what's proclaimed about them. Genesis 49, 22. It says, Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well.

His branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him, and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. From there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel. It says, This is describing national wealth and prosperity. Verse 26, And the crown of him who was separate from his brothers. So again, it's describing national wealth, national strength, and prosperity that would abound in Joseph's descendants. They would be especially blessed beyond the other tribes of Israel.

It's not that God wasn't having a relationship with the other tribes of Israel, but the birthright promise had been conveyed upon them. The physical birthright blessings, in that sense, would be theirs. They would be truly a fruitful bow by a spring. And as you can imagine, if there's a vine by a spring, it's drawing the water and the nourishment and the sustenance that it needs, and it grows and expands. You plant the vine on top of the wall, it'll grow down over the wall and across the ground. And it was representative of the fact that the descendants of Joseph wouldn't stay contained just simply to the borders in which they were placed.

Their power, their prosperity would flow out across the earth.

Again, as we saw, the descendants would become a great nation and a multitude of nations. Now, if we fast-forward to our time today, if we fast-forward to the end of the age, and we take a look around at the condition of the world and the history leading up to this point, which nations of Israelite descent display the properties of this birthright blessing? Nearly 3,700 years after these things were prophesied to take place, we've seen the fulfillment through the British Commonwealth of Nations. It's that multitude of nations that is descended from Ephraim, and we also have seen the fulfillment of the blessings through the United States, the single great nation which is modern-day Manasseh. Today, the world's single superpower is the United States. If we go back to the 19th century, the superpower was Great Britain. It was the largest empire in world history. Its area encompassed a quarter of the population of the earth, covered a quarter of the earth's landmass, and at the height of its power, the British Empire included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. And as it was said, the sun never set on a British Empire. That was that great multitude of nations, the descendants of the firstborn, and the United States as well, that great nation. We've seen the fulfillment of that in our time, over the previous couple hundred years, as well as world history, as these things have come to play. And, brethren, if you're curious to learn more, you can read our book, The United States and Great Britain, in Bible Prophecy. If you haven't read it in a long time, I recommend it. It's a good read. In fact, we have a couple copies of that on the back table. But again, Thanksgiving is a reminder to me of the modern-day fulfillment of the birthright promises conveyed unto the sons of Joseph. And it's a reminder to me that God is indeed faithful. God brought this nation into existence. He protected it miraculously many times down through history. You can do studies into areas where God provided for the westward expansion of the country through discovery of gold a year after California was bought from Mexico. And it made that push to the west in order to settle this country in the way that it needed to be. So many different things in the history of this nation that we can see that God's hand played a miraculous part in bringing these birthright promises and blessings to pass.

The Bible contains many examples that display the faithful nature of God's character. You know, as many stories we could turn to where we see that God made a promise to somebody and he worked out circumstances in their life to the point where maybe they wondered what was going on, but they soon came to see that God was fulfilling that which he promised to them. And Joseph is a perfect example of that. God does the same thing in our lives today. He's promised us many blessings as his people. Ultimately, he's promised us eternal life in the kingdom of God. And he's bringing us through our lives, if we submit to him, in a way that will bring about the fulfillment of those things he has guaranteed to us.

Brethren, God is faithful. The time we have remaining today, I'd like to look at a number of scriptures that describe the faithfulness of God's character as it's displayed towards us. And I would say the primary way in which God displays this faithfulness to us is through the covenant relationship he makes with us and through the plan of salvation that he offers to us.

He enters into something, a relationship with us, that has guarantees. It has conditions, but it has promises and it has guarantees. And God, who is a faithful God, is one who fulfills what in fact he has promised. And we will see that today. So as we look through these scriptures, brethren, I believe you'll be encouraged.

I believe you'll be inspired to see the faithfulness that is a true attribute of the nature of God. Now, when you consider the terms of a covenant relationship, we can't help but recognize that there has to be a degree of trust. When you enter into a covenant, you have to trust that the other party is going to fulfill what it is they've promised. I mean, no one enters into a marriage covenant without the expectation that their spouse will be faithful, that they'll guard and protect that relationship, that they will in fact fulfill what they had promised as they entered into the covenant.

That covenant is simply what we expect. But you see, what oftentimes happens to us as humans is that at some point, somebody will let us down. Somebody won't fulfill their end of the obligation, such as they've promised to do. A circumstance will arise that hinders the ability of someone to follow through. Someone may simply lose interest in the covenant in which they make. And when that happens, then trust is broken. And so oftentimes, the covenant is broken along with it as well.

Brethren, God is faithful. We enter into a covenant relationship with Him at baptism. And we can be absolutely sure that God is a being who can be trusted to uphold His end of the agreement. God is a being who can be trusted never to leave us or forsake us. He will in fact fulfill what He has promised. There's no set of circumstances. There's no force of nature that can hinder God from fulfilling what He's promised to do in our lives.

Now, Deuteronomy 7 tells us of God's steadfast commitment to the covenants He makes. It's a passage that should be reassuring to us. Deuteronomy 7, verse 9. Deuteronomy 7, 9 says, Therefore, know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. So God is a faithful God. That's His nature. That's who He is. That's what His character is built on. And that is the way in which He's displayed Himself to us.

There is no faltering. There's no shadow of turning with God. Because that is His nature, we can be completely confident that the purpose for which He has created us and called us will in fact be fulfilled through our life, through the circumstances that He brings us through, through the situations He allows us to face. Oftentimes, our trials and struggles in this life that we endure have a positive outcome for the purpose that God is working through us. Yet if we submit to Him, and we submit to His will in our life, He will fulfill what He's promised.

Now, for submission and commitment, there's no submitment. But if we submit and commit, God indeed is faithful. Now, submission is a difficult thing for us to do as humans, because you see it involves giving over of ourselves in a way that makes us vulnerable. We open ourselves up to being hurt if, in fact, trust is broken or that agreement is violated. What happens oftentimes as humans is, you know, we just sort of tentatively submit to something, but we guard ourselves.

We watch ourselves. We don't allow ourselves to be taken advantage in any way. And again, that's because we're dealing with other people. And other people can falter. Other people can stumble in their faithfulness. But you see, with God, we don't need to be guarded in that relationship. We don't need to fear hurt and betrayal in our life. In fact, the only way our covenant relationship with God will work if we give ourselves to Him completely. We can't just sort of halfway give ourselves to God. Halfway continue to do our own thing.

Then we have to submit to God, trust in Him, and know that He is working out everything for His purpose in our life. Submitting to God again so often involves trial and test. But we can be assured that those things are being worked out for our good and not for our destruction. Sometimes we may wonder, but if we're in covenant relationship with God, He is the one that upholds us, that sustains us, that won't allow us to be destroyed in the process.

As Christians, we can't live unto salvation without completely submitting to God. We cannot completely submit to God without fully trusting. Trusting in the fact that He is faithful to His Word, and He will fulfill what it is that He's promised. Let's take a look at how God views us and His relationship with us. Let's go to Jeremiah 29.

Jeremiah 29 might recognize this as our focus scripture today. Actually, it showed up in the email earlier this week, and I looked at that, and I thought, well, isn't that interesting? I just put it in my notes for the message today. God certainly ties these things in through inspiration. He's used Greg Chek to do that often recently. I appreciate the focus scripture today. Jeremiah 29, verse 11.

God says, When you search for me with all your heart. Brethren, it's God's desire to give us a future and a hope that is bright. It's a future and a hope that we can have confidence in, as opposed to the future and the hope that this world gives us. If we submit ourselves completely to this world, it's a dead end, literally. But God's future and hope leads to life, leads to salvation. It's a very wonderful perspective that we can have walking through this life if we will, again, completely submit ourselves to it. It should strengthen our relationship with God to know that His thoughts towards us are peace. They are of good. God wants good things for us. He pours out blessings on us in so many ways. And the God who has the will to bring these good things to pass, and has the power to bring these things to pass, looks upon us favorably. Brethren, for that I'm thankful. It's an incredible blessing. God thinks good thoughts towards us, but that's not just a vain phrase. He brings those things to pass in our life in a way that's rather quite remarkable. And because of God, God's plan is one that we can truly submit ourselves to with confidence. Let's notice Titus chapter 1. Titus 1, the apostle Paul addresses the hope that we just talked about, the hope that we all have, and he points out how it relates to God's faithfulness. Titus chapter 1, beginning in verse 1, sort of his introductory comments. Paul says, I'm a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. According to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God who cannot lie promised before time began. But it has in due time manifested his word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior. And he goes on to say, to Titus the true son and our common faith. Now, if we back up to verse 2, Paul said, in hope of eternal life, which God who cannot lie promised before time began. Eternal life in the kingdom of God as members of the family of God is the hope of all of us. You know, it's what we've been called to. It's what we dream of, what we yearn for. It's what our focus and attention and energy should be directed towards. And we can trust in the promise that God will remain faithful in our response to him. Again, it says God cannot lie, which doesn't simply mean that God won't lie. It doesn't simply mean that God chooses not to lie. But it means that it's not in God's nature to lie. Because, you see, that's not who he is. Numbers 23, 19, I'll just quote it for you. It says God is not a man that he should lie, or a son a man that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Again, God's faithful to his word. He declared it will be done.

God doesn't hold the offering of eternal life out to us as something that he can just take back. He doesn't offer it to us as something that he changes his mind. Oh, I decided I'm not going to do that today. I'm going to go do something else. God does not lie. He's established this plan for us. It says, before time began. And before time began is a reference to the eternal power and mind of God. It's a reference to the eternal nature of his plan. The plan of salvation that God is working out in our life was established in his intent and purpose, again, before the ages of time, as we understand it, even began. God knew beforehand what he wanted to do. He knew what it would be that would be required in order to bring it to pass as well in the life of each and every one of us. Scripture says that Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world. So not only did God have the foresight of the plan that would be required, and the understanding of what it is that we would need in terms of his Savior, no, he had the ability and the will to bring it to pass. Again, all set into motion before time began.

To me, brethren, that understanding gives me much confidence. It should give you much confidence in the relationship that we have with Almighty God. Our lifespan is just sort of a blip on the radar screen of overall eternity, and yet God decided, as Mr. Swaggerty has said, there came a day where God the Father and Jesus Christ were sitting there, and your name came to the top of the list. And he said, I want that person in my family, and I want to work with that person now. And he began the process in our life to draw us to him, to fulfill the purpose for which he created us. But again, this all came into being in God's mind before time began.

And the way that God looks at time is different than how we look at time. God sees things as if, as how they can be. When God looks at us, he already sees us as a member of his family, if we remain faithful, if we follow through, because, you see, he's unfaltering from his end. If we hold up our agreement, these things will, in fact, happen. We can trust in that.

In our covenant relationship with God, we are the weak link.

We're the unstable factor. We're the end of that agreement that can be let down or broken or fail to fulfill in certain ways. But that doesn't change God's approach to us. Our lack of faithfulness, if we stumble, if we turn aside, if we momentarily falter into a sin, our lack of faithfulness doesn't cut us off from the faithfulness of God. Again, God is faithful. That is his nature. That is what he will continue to be not dependent on our response and our action. Let's look at 2 Timothy 2 in this regard. 2 Timothy 2, verse 11.

This is speaking of Jesus Christ, actually, but he and the Father are one. Their mind is one. Their purpose is one. They are of the same nature. 2 Timothy 2, verse 11. This is a faithful saying. For if we died with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. Verse 13. If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself.

See, again, God and Christ of the same mind and the same spirit are faithful. That's their nature. If our faith falters, if we sin before God, we can be confident that God continues to be a faithful being in his approach to us. So our lack of character in any given circumstance doesn't alter the character of God. He is faithful. He will always be faithful no matter what. He's always willing to accept us back, right, in a repentant relationship. If we acknowledge our sin, if we repent before him, God's faithful and just to forgive us our sin. To accept us back in relationship with him. In fact, 1 John 1.9 says that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. To cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's the God we serve. The God who is loving and faithful, even when you and I falter.

Now, on the other side of the coin, not only is God merciful in our dealings and is merciful in the way he deals with us, he's also just. You see, if we return to God in repentance, he is just to forgive us. But he's also just in the way he deals with those who turn aside and will not repent. He's just in the way he deals with those who will not submit to him, to the wicked of this earth. God will be faithful with those individuals as well according to their works. So, God is faithful, but sometimes the manner in which his faithfulness is dealt out on us is dependent on our response to him. If you love God, you serve him, you submit to his will, he is faithful to bless you and uphold you and give you an eternal life in that way. If you reject God and despise God and turn from him, he is faithful on the other end of the spectrum as well. Those promises are made within the confines here of his word as well. Let's note in 2 Peter, chapter 3.

2 Peter 3, beginning in verse 1. 1 Peter says, Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle, and both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. He says, you know what, at the end times there's going to be scoffers. There's going to be people who say, well, where's this faithful God of yours? He's guaranteed a lot of things. He's made a lot of promises. Where's the fruit of that? Maybe he's asleep. Maybe he forgot about you. Maybe you're just not good enough. Where is this faithful God of yours?

Verse 5 says, For this they willingly forget, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water, and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. And so they forget that there was once judgment executed on the wicked, and the promise of God is that there will be again.

Verse 7, it says, But the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire, until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. And so God, again, is not constrained by time in the same manner that you and I are. What might seem like an eternity to us may be just a brief time to God, and He's long suffering. We can never think, well, where are you, God? Why haven't you intervened? Surely you should have done something by now, in fact, if you are a faithful God. But the truth is, again, God views things a little differently than we do. We need to learn to have the eternal perspective on time, the same nature in which God does. God is long suffering. He is patient. Verse 9, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. That's an incredible promise with God. You see, He's not just sitting around there waiting for us to make a mistake so He can smoke us, you know, so He could just blink us out of existence while you messed up. Poof! You're gone. No, God's a faithful God. He gives us opportunity. He's patient with us. He gives us the time that we need in order to evaluate His Word, in order to evaluate our life, and the turn to Him, once again, in repentance. God is very patient and long suffering in that way, and He promises to give us that ample time. We see, brethren, there does come a time when the time is up, and those who reject God will in fact face His judgment.

Judgment's an interesting concept. You can see in the Bible, we're given the ability and the authority in certain ways to make judgments. You know, we judge circumstances around us, people around us, sins around us. You know, we judge whether or not we ought to be hanging out with that person, you know, whether or not we ought to be going to this place or doing that thing.

So in life, we acknowledge things and we make judgments. And that's the level of judgment that God's given us. But also, you see, Christ said, judge not that you be not judged. What level of judgment are we talking about? Well, there's a certain level of judgment that's been reserved only for Jesus Christ.

That's judgment unto salvation. It's judgment of the heart. Because you and I can see circumstances. We can see the sin in someone and know that perhaps we need to withdraw from that. But we can't automatically assume that we know how that person's heart is with God. You know, are they perhaps faltering just in a momentary weakness of the flesh? God is the one who knows the heart. John 5 says that the Father has given all judgment to the Son. And so if you and I then turn to judge somebody's heart, to judge whether or not maybe they're converted or worthy of God, we've suddenly stepped into a position that we don't have authority to take, which is the judgment that's been delegated to Jesus Christ.

So that's the level in which we ought not to judge. And what we see from the Scripture here is that God is faithful in His judgment. All judgments can be given to Christ of the same mind. They will be faithful in their judgment. God is a righteous judge. Jesus Christ is the righteous judge. And to me, I gain confidence in knowing that the Creator with whom I have relationship with is the only one who can truly judge my heart and judge your heart. Again, you're in covenant relationship with Him, and who are we to judge another man's servant?

As Paul said in Romans, before his own master, he stands or falls. And so the confidence we have is that God is just, and He is merciful, but He will judge us according to, and Christ will judge us according to perfect righteous judgment. That is a promise. It should give us comfort in this relationship.

If we carry on, remember where I was at. Verse 9, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering towards us, that not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, the elements will melt with fervent heat, both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?

Looking for and hazing the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and new earth, in which righteousness dwells. You see, there comes the point after the return of Jesus Christ, after the millennium, after the time when all unrighteousness has been cleansed from the earth, that then God the Father will come and dwell with men.

And we look forward to that new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells. Verse 14, Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless, and consider that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation, as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you. So, again, God is long-suffering. He's long-suffering because we need Him to be long-suffering. We need God's patience.

We need His diligence and commitment to work with us in our life. God's not called us to destruction. And so, in this relationship, He very much wants to see us succeed in what it is He's called us to. So He'll give us every opportunity, every bit of help that we are willing to accept in order to overcome sin and to be, again, brought into eternal life as sons and daughters of the kingdom of God.

Now, right alongside this concept, brethren, we're confident that God will not permit us to be challenged by anything that would overcome us. He won't let us be challenged by something that we cannot withstand. He's promised He will stand by our side, give us the power and the ability and the strength that we need to overcome the trials that we face, if we look to Him. 1 Corinthians 10 demonstrates that for us.

1 Corinthians 10, beginning in verse 13.

Here Paul says, And so a guarantee of God's faithfulness is that He won't allow us to be lost or destroyed by some trial unless we choose to give up, unless we choose to falter or turn away or not submit fully to this relationship with God. That's the only way that we'll be overcome. It's the only way that we would, in that sense, be destroyed by some trial of circumstance in this life, is if we don't uphold our end of the agreement to be partnered with God. When God is faithful, He says, I will see you through.

That doesn't mean there won't be tough times. It doesn't mean there won't be blood, sweat and tears along the way. And about guarantee that there will be. But what it means is that God gives us what we need to succeed when we need it. We look to Him in faith. That, in fact, is His promise. Isaiah 41, continuing on with this thought.

Isaiah 41 verse 10.

Again, we can gain comfort and strength and confidence in the fact that we are partnered with God. Isaiah 41, 10, says, Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. And, brethren, I can't think of a more perfect position to be in. A better position to be in. There is none, other than to be sustained and upheld and guided by the power of God's righteous right hand. It's a position of safety. It's a position of strength. And it's a position of comfort. And through it all, it's a promise that God will, in fact, see us through. Philippians chapter 1, verse 6, is a short passage, but it contains some incredibly encouraging words for us.

Philippians chapter 1, verse 6, probably one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. Breaking into the middle of the thought here, it says, verse 6, Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Brethren, God will see us through to the end. There's no faltering. There's no shadow of turning with God. He will see us through. The work that He started in us from the beginning, He will bring to completeness. And if we submit to Him, that's the action of a faithful God. It's the action of a God who keeps His promises. It's the action of God who has the power and the will and the love to bring the paths that which He has declared from the beginning.

During His life, King David understood the faithfulness of God. He acknowledged it in many ways. He saw how it actually guided and directed Him and sustained Him in His life. He looked to God for strength. He trusted to God for deliverance, and He praised God for the blessings that were brought to His life. And when you read through the Psalms, all intermingled throughout that is the fact that He could trust in the fact that God was faithful. And that is, in fact, what gave Him the power as a physical man to carry on despite the obstacles that He faced. And so today I'd simply like to wrap up my message by reading from a few sections of the Psalms so we can be reminded of the strength and the trust and the thanksgiving that we should associate with God's faithfulness as He's poured it out in our lives today. Let's go to Psalms, chapter 37.

Psalm 37, beginning in verse 1.

Here David writing. He says, David said, Which means, let the faithfulness of God be that sure thing that sustains you as you walk through this life, both in the good times and in the difficult times. In the days of trial, we need to feed on His faithfulness. Verse 4. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noon day. And, brethren, the question is, do we believe this or not? Because you see, the level at which we believe this will be the level at which we commit our lives in service to God. Do we truly believe that He will fulfill what He's promised in our life?

Verse 6.

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. He says, For yet a little while in the wicked shall be no more. Indeed, you will look carefully for His place, but it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Again, these are the faithful promises of God. Psalm 91. Psalm 91, verse 1.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, and Him will I trust. A fortress and a refuge is somewhere that we go to be protected. It's a place of safety. It's a place we run to when we need deliverance. David says, God is my fortress. He's my refuge.

Verse 3.

And I think of that sort of like how the hen gathers the chick in. He brings the chicks in under its wings, protects them from the storm, protects them from the calamities that rage about. God is our protector. He's our sustainer. And when all else seems to be failing, it is to Him that we can run and take refuge in that way.

His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor by the arrows that fly by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste by noonday, because you see, you are in covenant with the Almighty God. And He is faithful. And He has the power and the will to, again, bring about in your life what He has promised to do.

Psalm 111.

Psalm 111, verse 1. Praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord of my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honorable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. Sometimes we just read through these things, and we don't necessarily always stop. And focus on what God is saying here. There is promise after promise after promise. He is faithful to fulfill these things. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He has given food to those who fear Him. He will be ever mindful of His covenant. He has declared to His people the power of His works, giving to them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are verity and justice. All His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness. Verse 9, He has sent redemption to His people. He has commanded His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. Finally, Psalm 100. It's back a few pages.

Psalm 100. It says, it's a psalm of thanksgiving. Again, as I stated at the beginning of the message, thanksgiving reminds me of the faithfulness of God. And God's faithfulness should, in fact, encourage us to come before Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 100. Make a joyful shout to the Lord all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God. It is He who made us and not ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name, for the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting. And His truth endures to all generations.

But then we serve a God whose faithfulness is so far above all else that could be compared with it. And sometimes I think because we look at this world and we look at people who make promises that don't fulfill, we look at presidents, we look at world leaders, we look at church leaders, who perhaps stand up and make promises or declare things, and yet they're human. They're subject to frailty, they're subject to time and circumstance in various ways. The fact is, the only one that we can truly rely on from beginning to end to fulfill what He has promised, who is so far high above all else that we could depend on, is God. Again, it's with Him we've covenanted in relationship. The second greatest covenant to that is the marriage covenant, but then again, it's a reflection of Christ and the church and the faithful relationship that we have with Him.

God and His Word is faithful. His Word is faithful. His truth is faithful, His love is faithful, and as the Psalms say, it endures forever. And you and I can truly come into His gates with praise and with thanksgiving as a result of those wonderful things. I'd like to conclude my message today by reminding us of the words contained in Hebrews 10, verse 23. You don't have to turn there. I'll quote it for you. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 23, it reminds us, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who is promised is faithful.